Spirited Mom. Spirited Child.

Parenting: The spirited way

About Me

Mama to 2 amazing littles. D is my spirited preschooler and the one who made me a mom. He keeps me on my toes and reminds me that life isn't supposed to be perfect. DD is my baby girl and my hope is to be a good example for her of a strong, confident woman. It's a work in progress.

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newborn

As spirited as D has come to be, he was hands down the easiest baby. He slept through the night at 9 weeks old (I’m talking 12 hours). He barely cried and when he did, people would ask if he was laughing. He was just a happy baby. I thought it was just because we were doing such an awesome job. Every new mother should have a first baby like D. It’s good for building confidence.

I don’t know what I expected the second time around. I knew I wouldn’t have the exact experience, but I wasn’t expecting this.

After the first few weeks of cuddles and cooing, we started to notice that DD’s crying periods were gradually increasing, which is normal since crying is known to peak around 6 weeks. Once we noticed it, it seemed to increase until it was every. single. day. It was exhausting, frustrating and puzzling to us, the parents who had raised a baby boy that literally never cried.

It wasn’t until a friend brought it up, that I even considered it might be colic. Our baby was just a bit fussy at night. From what I thought I knew, colicky babies cried all day every day. I decided to do a bit of my own research. What I learned was that for it to be considered colic, a baby must cry around 3 hours a day, at least 3 days a week, for at least 3 weeks. Check. Check. And check. Now, what to do about it?

Since DD was born, I always knew I would wear her. I was a mother of two now and I needed my hands to be free, while still finding a way to be close to my baby. With some help from my friend Karen of That Mom Blog and a beautiful, new-to-me gauze wrap, I ventured into the world of babywearing. It took me awhile to get a hang of wrapping her up, but now it’s pretty easy and I can actually do it without the help of a mirror. The Front Wrap Cross Carry is my go to (okay, the only one I can do but I’m working on it).

Although it was something I did occasionally with D, I never really stuck with it or learned much about all the benefits for both mom and baby. Now I desperately needed one of the crucial benefits it had to offer; relief from the crying of colic.

I went from once or twice a week, to wearing her around as much as possible every day. It has changed our lives. I can’t even begin to tell you.

DD’s witching hour is between 8 pm-midnight, almost every night now, if not every other. What do I do? I don’t even wait for her to cry. As soon as we finish putting D to bed around 7:30, I pop her in the wrap and stop the colic in its tracks. She might start to fuss a few times but it never lasts long. A couple bounces and she’s instantly quiet again. We’ve been known to dance around the living room like idiots (well, I have). If you have ever seen me dance you understand what I mean.

I am so happy for the opportunity to wear my baby. I feel so close and connected to her, as if she’s still inside me. It’s such a special thing to be able to bond with your baby in that way. Being able to hold her close and still be there for my son is priceless. I am sure there are many, many other benefits, but the fact that I don’t have to hear her little cry and be unable to comfort her is reason enough for me.

It’s funny, I never really knew much about attachment parenting. As terrible as this sounds, I thought it was for hippies. I certainly never thought it was something that was for me and my family and I realize it’s not for everyone else either. I think I was following a lot of the principles already with D without knowing it, but I have learned a lot and many of my beliefs have changed even since having him. Now, I’m proud to say I’m a home birthing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, babywearing mama and I wouldn’t want it any other way.